By STEVE MASCORD
THERE are many small pleasures that only reveal themselves after following a sport or a team for at least a decade.
One is seeing a promising rookie player in unfamiliar surroundings and living long enough to see him become his club’s captain.
Saturday, January 17, 2009 was my 40th birthday and I spent it un the unusual location of Jacksonville, Florida with my best buddy (and later Best Man), Warrington’s own Jim Savage. That night I met up with Mik Shammas, a Lebanon and US rugby league pioneer who I had previously met in Russia.
But that’s another story.
The player they were all talking about that day was centre Kallum Watkins, who was still only 17 years old. I don’t in any way fancy myself as a shrewd judge of rugby league talent, but you could see the way he swatted defenders and glided across the University of Northern Florida grass that he would make quite an impression back across the pond.
Kallum Watkins, a smiley chap with perhaps just the tiniest devilish glint in the eye which he keeps well hidden most of the time, almost sent the World Cup final into overtime and is – as I said – the Rhinos new skipper.
He seems as surprised by the appointment as anyone. Did he see himself as captaincy material?
“Not really. For the past 10 years (the team’s) been led by a number of players who’ve helped me progress as a man and a player.
“The last couple of years, changes have been made. The big leaders, the big key players in our team have gone now.
“(I’ve learned) from experience, it’s from those big games where those guys have led from the front.
“There’s other guys who could have been in this position. For me to be chosen is a big honour.”
But surely it’s a reward for being loyal, when a move down under – in particular – must have been so tempting since that day in Jacksonville.
“I guess so. It’s helped me gain that experience, being at a good club and knowing the Leeds way, really.
“I’ve been tempted, of course. You get tempted. But this club’s been really successful the last 10 years and I’m really enjoying everyone’s company. It’s about being happy as well. “I’ve got a young family as well and being comfortable where you are is good. At the moment, I’m really really comfortable.”
Watkins – always cruisy and friendly, it seems – insists he doesn’t need to make any adjustments because of the ©.
“I don’t think so. For me, it’s about being myself. I’ve got that advice from the likes of Kevin (Sinfield)– just to be yourself and learn from it while you’re doing it, on the job.
“Each game, I’m going to learn and with each game I’m going learn from being part of it, part of the team as well. The guys who’ve led from the front, I want to be one of them now and I’ve got to be one of them.
“I’ve also got to set an example to the guys and to the club as well. I’ve always thought I’ve done my best to do that. I’ve just got to keep doing that, not change too much, be a leader on the field, I feel like I’m already doing that. “
OK, onto more recent events. Elliott Whitehead says he’s not looked at that Josh Dugan ankle-tap in the World Cup final. Have you?
“No, not really. Probably at some point (I will), I don’t know.
“Yeah, because it was a massive opportunity to get over. Obviously if he didn’t tap me I could have gone towards the fullback and obviously Elliott was there as well. I’m sure if I’d passed the ball, he’d have been in.
“Looking back, I guess it’s hard to take because it didn’t happen for us. It will live long in the memory because we weren’t successful in lifting that trophy and at the World Cup that’s what we wanted to do as a team.
“(But) it was a really, really good trip. I am really proud to have been part of the team. Making that final was a massive achievement. It bodes well for the future of England rugby league.”
Melbourne didn’t want to come to England because they thought after a big World Cup it would wreck their season. Without putting too fine a point on it, will it wreck yours?
“It’s a bit different for the NRL players – they come in the pre-season and have to go back. We’re a couple of games in. We’ll have to wait and see. It’s a different challenge for us, travelling all the way to Australia and having to play in a World Club Challenge. Obviously none of the players have had to do that.
“We had that little bit of experience, me and (Ryan Hall), of going mid-season to play against Samoa. That’s given us a bit of confidence.”
Kallum says players do talk about the expansion ambitions of the British game and are excited by it.
“There’s a few teams coming in, the likes of Toronto and there’s talk about a New York team as well. It’s important to help our sport in this country build because it’s real massive, football, around England.
“Football’s a fantastic sport, a lot of people enjoy it but if we can speak (rugby league) a little bit more it’s only going to help, to have teams from more countries part of a great sport.”
So, Kallum, where you playing on my 50th? Away to Boise?
